"Go away!"
"Get out of here!"
"Spit out the sun, monster!"
The villagers of Dongshan Village beat the drums with gongs, drums, washbasins, and even benches and carrying poles.
The bright sun in the sky had lost a corner of itself at some point, and it looked like a gnawed pancake.
It was only June, but the villagers felt a hint of chill.
More and more parts are missing, as if a giant troll is trying to devour the sun, which is the basis for human survival!
"It's a solar eclipse! Quick, light the firecrackers!"
"Get moving, get moving."
"If the sun is eaten by the Tengu, we will truly be swallowed by darkness and weirdness!"
The villagers, dressed in coarse linen clothes, were panicked and forced themselves to remain calm.
Wang Xiuyuan, an old man holding a wooden crutch, shouted with full energy, "Men in the village, take up your weapons. Women and children, continue beating drums and gongs to scare away the tengu. The village chief and I will go to the village entrance to seek help from the Lord of Sacrifices."
"yes!"
"Yes, sir!"
They are believers of the sun, adhering to the ancient tradition of working from sunrise to sunset, because only when the sun shines will the terrifying existence outside the village disappear temporarily.
Once the sun disappears, the whole world will fall into terrifying darkness and weirdness.
Village chief Wang Minghai, a sturdy middle-aged man, listened to the constant clamor of gongs, drums, firecrackers, and shouting, a hint of worry on his square face. He turned to look at the old man beside him and asked, "Elder, is there still no response from the Lord of Sacrifices?"
"Alas, almost half a month has passed, and the Lord of Sacrifices has not responded. I hope this sacrifice can wake him up."
Wang Xiuyuan sighed. He had just been full of confidence in front of the villagers, but now he showed deep helplessness.
"Let's pray that this solar eclipse will be a little shorter. We have already lit more than ten bonfires and posted talismans to suppress evil at the beginning and end of the village. If there are not many invading ghosts and evil spirits, we should be able to hold out." Wang Minghai gripped the long knife at his waist, his eyes full of ferocity.
The two walked past a row of thatched earth houses. Only a small half of the originally round sun remained, and a huge shadow was cast from the sky, gradually covering the mountains, rivers, lakes and seas.
The creepy cry of a night owl suddenly appeared, and the entire Dongshan Village seemed to be plunged into darkness.
Wang Xiuyuan shuddered and couldn't help but quicken his pace.
The land temple at the entrance of the village is in sharp contrast to the thatched and yellow earth houses around it. It is actually made of green bricks and red painted tiles. There is even a couplet at the gate, which reads, "The temple is small but the magic power is great; the sky is high and the sun and moon are long."
Land temples are the most common temples among the people. Most of them are just small, dilapidated buildings built with stones in the wild. The slightly better ones are built with bricks and stones. Temples of this scale are almost only found in prosperous and wealthy places.
It is definitely the most luxurious and huge building in Dongshan Village. It is out of tune with the surroundings and looks extremely abrupt.
Old man Wang Xiuyuan walked into the land temple with a cane, first lit three special incense sticks, and then knelt respectfully in front of a statue of the land god.
"Master Jiling, please show your spirit quickly!"
"Please help us, Master Jiling!"
The smoke from the burning sandalwood rose up and lingered around the statue of the land god for a long time without dissipating.
The huge pig head and fruits on the altar look very tempting, but the statue of the land god has not changed at all.
Village chief Wang Minghai also knelt on the mat on the ground. He kowtowed repeatedly but did not receive any response.
Normally, this kind of sandalwood specially made by the court would be quickly absorbed by the statue after being lit, but now it was taking a long time to absorb.
Wang Xiuyuan knelt on the ground, not daring to get up. He said sadly, "Have you, Lord of the Land, also given up on us?"
In the past few years, the imperial court and the people have organized large and small sacrificial activities, but the feedback they received has been getting less and less.
Many people privately said that the emperor was incompetent and had been abandoned by the gods.
The other gods may not appear, but if this sacrificial spirit is gone, the entire village may be destroyed!
"Did you meet people from other villages when you went to Qifeng Town? Did you ask about their village's spirit worship?"
Village Chief Wang Minghai shook his head. "Everyone is very wary of the sacrificial spirits. I just asked indirectly, but the others avoided me. Anyway, the sacrificial spirits in Qifeng Town should still be there."
"Could it be that the heavens are going to destroy our Dongshan Village?" Wang Xiuyuan looked at the incense smoke that had lingered for a long time. "This is the longest-lasting sacrificial spirit, and yet it still disappeared."
As they were talking, the sky outside suddenly changed from dusk to dark night.
The cold wind was howling and biting, and the candlelight in the land temple began to flicker.
"The sun is gone!" Wang Xiuyuan stood up immediately, but he felt dizzy because of the speed. Wang Minghai beside him quickly supported him.
The entire Chinese land was shrouded in darkness, with cold winds howling. Evil demons and ghosts emerged from unknown areas and began to pounce on their favorite blood food.
"The evil spirit is coming!"
"Hide!"
"The evil-suppressing talisman is burning, why hasn't Master Jiling taken action yet?"
"God of the Land, please bless us."
The villagers who were originally holding gongs, drums and firecrackers quickly fled to the land temple here, placing their last hope on the sacrificial spirits.
The evil-suppressing talismans issued by the court spontaneously combusted without fire, and ghosts in the air laughed strangely. Their figures were vaguely invisible, and their strength was very weak. They could only bully the weak and sick, the elderly and the young.
"Damn it, the talismans drawn by those officials from the court are becoming more and more shoddy!" Village chief Wang Minghai really didn't expect that the evil-suppressing talisman would lose its effect so quickly. He originally thought that it could at least last for half an hour as usual, but now it's gone in just a cup of tea.
The evil-suppressing talisman is the most powerful means of defense for every village besides offering sacrifices to spirits, and only two can be obtained from the higher court each year.
Almost no village is willing to use them, they are truly life-savers!
The Dongshan Village had finally managed to accumulate a few of them. Two of them were used up when an evil spirit sneaked in before, and the two that just spontaneously combusted were the last ones in stock.
The so-called sacrificial spirit is actually equivalent to a guardian god. A tree, a weapon or a statue can become a sacrificial spirit, provided that they are psychic.
The entire land of China is filled with ghosts, goblins, and evil spirits.
Whenever night falls, these evil spirits appear in droves, one after another.
Not to mention ordinary people, even monks or masters of martial arts would find it difficult to survive in the wild.
The villages without the protection of sacrificial spirits have turned into ruins. There is an official road connecting the county town and the town, which needs to be repaired and maintained every year, and the talismans on the official road are needed to barely pass through.
As for the official roads between villages, villages and towns, and county towns, there are no such things as official roads, so you can only take your chances.
As soon as you step out of the village, you will be targeted by ghosts, monsters, goblins, and monsters.
By offering sacrifices to the spirits and guarding a region, they can gain merit and incense. These two things can make them quickly become stronger, and separate themselves from the ranks of goblins and ghosts, becoming a member of the vast system of heaven.
It can be said that both parties benefit mutually.
More powerful sacrificial spirits choose larger locations, and every village, town, county, and city has a sacrificial spirit. However, the strength of sacrificial spirits varies, causing some weaker sacrificial spirits to flee or even die when faced with attacks and invasions from evil spirits, thus causing villages and counties to suffer devastating disasters!
In the past, due to the constraints of the gods, various sacrificial spirits did not dare to be too arrogant and domineering or act recklessly.
Now that the gods are not visible, more and more sacrificial spirits are starting to make small moves.
Those things are too far away from Dongshan Village. The spirit they worship here is the land at the entrance of the village, which guards the safety of the village day and night and blesses the harvest of the land.
Although the land god has a relatively low status in the list of gods, he actually embodies many good wishes of the people, such as exorcising evil spirits, avoiding disasters, praying for blessings, etc., and is a veritable god of fortune and virtue!
The last time evil spirits invaded, the God of Land didn't react at all.
This time even the special incense was not absorbed. Village chief Wang Minghai now knew that the situation was difficult. He could only quickly let the villagers enter the land temple, trying to scare away the evil spirits with the residual breath of the sacrificial spirits.
"Come in, come in!"
"Come and worship in the land temple!"
"Warriors, don't stop! Unleash your vigorous blood and energy."
"With the blessing of the land god, we can get through this safely!"
Neither Wang Minghai nor Wang Xiuyuan mentioned the disappearance of the sacrificial spirit. Everyone knew that people's hearts should not be in chaos now.
Once the villagers know that the sacrificial spirit has disappeared, they will certainly be extremely panicked due to their excitement, giving evil spirits an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
Dongshan Village does not have a large population, with about 180 people including the elderly, children, women and children. Even so, the originally spacious land temple is still packed.
The muscular man held a weapon in his hand, stimulating the rich energy and blood in his body.
Those with masculine qi and blood are feared by ghosts and gods!
Then the clan elder Wang Xiuyuan took out a series of strange things from his pocket and placed them in every corner of the land temple.
There were broken branches, stones split into pieces, sharp and ancient horns, and a dagger.
These items look quite old. They were once the sacrificial spirits of Dongshan Village, but they encountered disasters and could not survive for long.
"Mom, I'm scared."
"Don't be afraid, the Earth God is here, we are safe."
The villagers looked at the statue of the land god in the temple hall with reverence, and the fear in their hearts gradually subsided.
But at this time, a green-faced, fang-toothed evil ghost suddenly appeared above the land temple.
Its body was ethereal, looking like smoke. Its sharp claws and fangs, and scarlet eyes stared at the villagers in the temple. Black air emanated from its huge mouth, and it laughed loudly, "So many delicious foods!"
"Oh no, it's the Green-faced Ghost."
Village chief Wang Minghai thought to himself that this was not good. This green-faced ghost was not an ordinary wandering ghost. It was extremely powerful and could already reveal its true form.
In the past, it would take a lot of effort for the spirits to deal with the green-faced ghost. If they were to face off against him, the chances of winning would be very slim.
But the villagers were behind him, so he had no choice but to step forward.
Wang Minghai quickly pulled out the long sword from his waist, then gritted his teeth and cut the palm of his left hand, smearing the bright red blood on the long sword. Then he jumped into the air and suddenly slashed at the green-faced ghost with the long sword.
People who practice martial arts have a very strong masculine energy in their bodies. Their ten fingers are connected to the heart, and the palms are connected to the blood in the heart, which has a certain effect of exorcising demons and ghosts.
However, the long sword fell lightly on the green-faced ghost, as if it had cut a wisp of green smoke, and did not hurt the other party at all.
The green-faced ghost swung its long claws and directly cut a hole in Wang Minghai's coarse cloth short coat, leaving several claw marks emitting black air on his chest!
"village head!"
The villagers were shocked and angry, but they had no way to deal with it. They could only retreat quickly and huddle together.
The rest of the patrol team stepped forward to help the fallen village chief up. Their hands were trembling as they held their weapons, but no one stepped back.
Among the villagers behind them are their relatives and family members. If they retreat, who will protect them?
At this time, the clan elder Wang Xiuyuan, who was originally leaning on a crutch, walked briskly, picked up the incense burner that was originally enshrined in front of the statue of the Earth God, and suddenly threw it at the green-faced ghost.
The ordinary incense ash suddenly fell all over the green-faced ghost, like hot oil meeting water, exploding with a bang!
The originally solid body of the green-faced ghost became illusory, and even a long-lost feeling of pain appeared.
Wang Xiuyuan is experienced and makes good use of the advantages of the land temple to inflict severe damage on the Green-faced Ghost.
These incense ashes are not simple. The combination of many factors, such as the special incense made by the court, the villagers' decades of pious worship, and the blessing of the land temple, has become a powerful weapon against evil spirits.
The green-faced ghost's face was distorted in pain, and his body not only did not shrink, but even swelled up because of anger!
A puff of black mist was exhaled, knocking several strong men from the patrol team in front to the ground and making them unconscious.
Village chief Wang Minghai, who suffered a serious chest injury, struggled to stand up, staggering to block the attack of the green-faced ghost. The villagers behind him screamed, cried, and begged for mercy, and some even hid under the table of the statue of the land god and trembled.
"Lord of the Land, come and save me!"
"Please save us."
"The village chief has collapsed. Please show your spirit!"
"If you show your spirit this time, I will kill the pig at home as a sacrifice for you."
"Grandpa Land, please help the village chief!"
…
"What's that noise? It's so loud!"
Lin Xiang heard cries and requests in a daze, and he thought someone was making trouble outside his rental house.
So, with a bit of bad temper, he tried to sit up impatiently, but found that he couldn't move his whole body.
"Could I be sleep paralyzed?" This thought suddenly popped up in Lin Xiang's mind.
As a native Chinese, he had heard of sleep paralysis but had never experienced it himself.
Although he was now conscious, his limbs and eyes were out of control, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
It is precisely because our eyes cannot see that our hearing is extraordinarily sharp.
“What does it mean that so many people are praying for me?”
"Why are they looking for the land god?"
"Is it drought, locust plague, or food shortage?"
The wailing and screaming outside continued, and there were even sounds of fighting. It sounded extremely noisy and lively.
Eager to know what happened, Lin Xiang struggled continuously, and as a result, a translucent game panel appeared in front of him.
[Name: Lin Xiang]
[Occupation: Land God]
[Power: Heaven]
Template: NPC
Level: 0
[Experience value: 0/100]
[Skills: Earth Escape, Soul Conquest, Good Harvest, Summoning Spirits]
[Professional Features: Exorcism, Disaster Prevention, and Blessings]
【Number of Incense Sticks: 10】
"No way! How did I become a land god? And I was officially ordained in heaven!"
Lin Xiang was a little confused. He had actually become an NPC, the weakest god in mythology.
His only impression of the Earth God was the old man in Journey to the West who was ordered around by Sun Wukong and other monsters. He found it hard to accept that he had now turned from a human into a god.
At least you can become a god with a physical body. Where is your own body now?
Just as Lin Xiang was thinking hard, the statue in the land temple began to change.
Originally it looked like an elderly man with a youthful face and white hair and a kind expression, but now it has gradually turned into a statue of a young scholar with a feather fan and a scholar's cap.
At the same time, the incense that was previously floating on the ceiling of the land temple was suddenly attracted by the newly appeared scholar statue.
"The God of Land has appeared!"
"We are saved!"
"Lord of the Land, please save us! The village chief has been defeated."
"There are so many monsters outside, may the God of Land bless you!"
These panicked villagers suddenly found their backbone, began to kneel on the ground, and kowtowed in worship.
Lin Xiang couldn't see anything at first, but when the statue of the God of Land turned into his face, he regained his perception of the surroundings, but he couldn't move.
His eyes swept over the dozens of people in front of him, and then he looked at the green-faced ghost that was approaching Wang Minghai, and he was shocked.
"Calm down, calm down. Even the gods have appeared, so it's perfectly reasonable that there are ghosts."
When the green-faced ghost turned into black smoke and rolled towards Wang Minghai, Lin Xiang subconsciously used the skill of transcending and guiding souls in his skill list, and the number of incense sticks immediately decreased by 1.
As a god, he needs to consume a certain amount of incense to activate his skills.
Suddenly, a golden light appeared and instantly enveloped all the black smoke. Then the green-faced ghost in the black smoke revealed its true face, and it turned out to be an ordinary man!
The golden light carried the man, who had regained his original appearance, directly to the underworld and headed straight towards the Ghost Gate.
[Kill the lv.3 Green-faced Ghost and gain 80 experience points.]
A thought popped up in Lin Xiang's head: "So the land is so powerful!"
Perhaps it is because the land gods in film and television works appear timid in front of other gods and powerful monsters, causing people to completely forget that they are real gods and it is not easy for them to deal with small monsters like the Green-faced Ghost.
The duties of the God of Land include not only good harvests and thriving livestock, but they also have some duties in the underworld.
The green-faced ghost hit the muzzle of the gun!
In the past, there were sacrificial spirits in Dongshan Village, so these evil spirits didn't dare to show up.
This time, with the golden opportunity of the solar eclipse and the disappearance of the sacrificial spirit, I dared to come and test it, but I didn't expect that I would be directly converted!
The villagers were extremely happy when they saw the green-faced ghost disappear without a trace. Coincidentally, the sun that had disappeared in the sky was gradually spit out by the heavenly dog, and everyone felt the joy of surviving a disaster.
"Thank you, Grandpa Land, for saving my life!"
"If it weren't for the Earth God's help, we would be in trouble this time."
"Why is the statue of Master Jiling different?"
The author has something to say:
Three thousand words are updated every day before V, and six to ten thousand words are updated every day after V.
This article is a work of the Fourth Disaster player flow + infrastructure flow. If you like this type of work, you can collect and follow it~~
There is also a 1.5 million-word completed long-form infrastructure farming novel "The Age of Global Lords" that can be directly slaughtered.
Pre-collected works such as "Mythology Academy" and "I Build a Mage Tower in the End of the World" can be viewed in the author's column.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
